How is a dialog interruption actually shown?
Let's say two characters are conversing and one character interrupts the other in mid-sentence. How would that actually be shown in dialog? I have seen some use a hyphen at the end of the sentence but I have also seen an ellipsis used as well, but which is the most appropriate?
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Standard punctuation for an incomplete sentence is ellipsis.
But don't.
Don't have one character interrupt another at all. Dialogue is not speech and the page is not the screen. The page is an asynchronous media. Events do not unfold in real time but in read time. It can take far longer to read the description of a complex event that happens quickly than a simple event that takes a long time. So time based effects, like interruptions, are impossible to dramatize well in prose. Instead, the drama should come through what is said, not the way it is said.
As far as is possible, let each character have their full say. If one must interrupt the other, let it be a full and final interruption, a dismissal, not just two people talking over each other.
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The choice is stylistic. It's almost always your decision, as the author. Do what you feel would be appropriate and convey your meaning well.
However, it goes without saying that some publishers may have a certain way they want you to format your work. Be sure to fit their guidelines.
For me personally, I use hyphens. I feel like they work better than an ellipsis, even though I have seen some authors use ellipses.
I hope this helped you.
This post was sourced from https://writers.stackexchange.com/a/27569. It is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
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